Introduction
History
Pictures
Coastal Erosion
The Future
Location
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Who are we?
We are the Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Society -
formed from the ashes of the Preservation Trust to
retain a watchful interest in the Belle Toute
Lighthouse.
It is our intention to keep this website up and running
(donations welcome) and to
create an on-line resource of information relating to
the old lighthouse. We already have a sizeable
archive of information although we need your
pictures and your
stories to help this
information grow.
More about the Trust
The Belle Toute Lighthouse Preservation Trust was a a
not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee with
charitable objects and aims. It had been formed with
the sole aim of purchasing and maintaining the Belle
Toute Lighthouse that is situated on the cliffs at
Beachy Head, near Eastbourne in the south of England.
Click here for more
information on the location.
Registered charity
The Trust had registered its application to the
Charities Commission although when a third party placed
an offer on the lighthouse late in 2007 we placed the
application on hold. This was done to prevent any
unnecessary additional expenditure as our costs were
beginning to rise.
Why Belle Toute?
The lighthouse is a prominent and famous British
landmark and Grade II listed building that has a
colourful and interesting history.
It is part of our national heritage and we firmly
believe that it should be opened to the public and maintain it for future generations
of visitors to enjoy.
Why trust ownership?
In private hands, Belle Toute is a diminishing
investment as the land is being lost to the sea by a
certain amount each year.
Trust ownership ensures that all of the profits from its
business are re-invested back into the property to
ensure that it is maintained and renovated. In
addition to which, it will provide the money to pay for the costs
when the lighthouse requires moving again in the future.
What were the Trusts plans?
To open this fascinating building to the public to allow
them to look around and find out about the buildings
rich history and how it was moved. Visitors can
enjoy the relaxing ambience and marvel at the views from
the lantern room whilst enjoying a nice cup of tea and a
piece of cake. In addition we would have been working with
other organisations to provide information on such
topics as the environment and coastal erosion. We
would have shown footage of when the lighthouse was moved as
well as provide bed and breakfast accommodation to
guests.
We will welcome school trips, special interest groups,
community events and much more. We have many ideas
for fund-raising activities all of which will bring in
vital money to the preservation of the lighthouse.
Why is this good for commerce and employment in the
area?
We will be working closely with local business to
provide services that the lighthouse needs such as
builders, architects, accountants, solicitors, gardeners
etc. We will also need to recruit staff to serve
our visitors and guests. We also want to work
closely with our neighbours for community driven events
as well as the National Trust and other charitable
organisations.
How much do we need?
The guide price had been reduced to £595,000 although there is also about
£150,000 of additional work that needs to be done to
get the building and its grounds ready for public
access.
Once we acquire the lighthouse a further estimated £1.1
million will be required to carry out the necessary
renovation works to the fabric of the building, its
grounds and resolving problems inside, such as repairing
the sunken flooring, damp, re-writing, plumbing,
decorating etc. We do have an itemised list of
repairs and maintenance that needs to be carried out
although we feel it would be inappropriate to the
current owners as the lighthouse is for sale on the
public market.
Donations
The trust were accepting donations via Worldpay and
PayPal. It was also possible to donate in
principle.
Whilst we did receive some money it wasn't quite enough
to cover our expenditure and the rest of the money was
provided by Rob Wassell, so strong was his belief in
this venture.
Due to the huge sums of money involved donation in
principle was a much more successful idea and it was at
the beginning of 2008 that a number of people began to
come forward. The greatest interest was running it
as some kind of joint venture which in our eyes would
have worked had the current owner not beaten us to it by
placing their bid before ours.
Private ownership
Whilst Belle Toute is now in private ownership there is
still good news as it is the new owners intention to
open the lighthouse as a Bed and Breakfast accommodation
and visitor centre.
Winding up the trust
As the trust can no longer realise its aims and due to
the ongoing expenditure of keeping it running it is to
be wound up. However, the Belle Toute Lighthouse
Preservation Society is to be formed in its place so
that original members can still maintain a watchful
interest in this amazing building.
A great big thank you
The Trust would not have got as far as it did without
the help and support of a great many organisations and
people and we would like to recognise each and every one
of then in our list of thanks.
Can I still donate?
The society still has running costs and we welcome any
financial assistance in keeping us up and running.
Visit the
donations page for more information.Thank you for your support, we really couldn't do it
without you!
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